1. Field Of The Invention
The present invention relates to a catheter comprising a generally tubular, thin walled body with a woven or wound round metal wire reinforcement. Such catheters are known, for instance, as angiographic catheters. The metal wire reinforcement serves to give the catheter a great torsional rigidity and pressure resistance at a small diameter. Because the catheter can resist a high pressure, a sufficient quantity of liquid, such as contrast fluid, can be transported in the catheter to the desired position in the bloodstream of a patient even when the diameter of the lumen is small. Such delivery can be through a distal outlet port as disclosed in the Spector et al. E.P. Publication No. 0 249 338.
2. Description Of The Related Art
Heretofore various metal wire reinforced catheters have been proposed and analogous and non-analogous examples of some of these catheters are disclosed in the following U.S. Patents and foreign patent publications:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Patentee ______________________________________ 4,050,411 Kimmich 4,073,287 Bradely et al. 4,176,662 Frazer 4,406,656 Hattler et al. 4,572,186 Gould et al. 4,665,604 Dubowik 4,776,334 Prionas 4,840,186 Lekholm et al. 4,945,342 Steinemann 4,947,866 Lessar et al. 5,279,596 Castaneda et al. 5,290,230 Ainsworth et al. 5,324,275 Raad et al. 5,334,169 Brown et al. British Published Patent Application UK Patent Appl. No. 2,218,580 to Nogami at al. EP Published Patent Application EP Pub. No. 0 249 338 to Spector et al ______________________________________